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Introduction to Microwave Sample Preparation: Theory and Practice
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ew microwave techniques are making sample preparation procedures faster, more convenient, and more controlled. This revolutionary new book gives you what you need to know to get started... the his tory of the technique, the relevant methodo logical details, the all-important safety precau tions, and a number of specific applications. Eleven chapters describe equipment and techniques that have been found most effec tive. They offer direct practical applications of the methods to a variety of sample types, in cluding microwave digestion of botanical, bio logical, and food samples; selenium analysis; Kjeldahl nitrogen determination; remote oper ation of microwave systems; and more. As a unique feature, this book presents a funda mental thermodynamic equation relating acid (sample) size, final temperature, heat capacity, and transformations of the basic equation predicting time and temperature for digestion. A truly multi-disciplinary volume, this book can be used in inorganic elemental analysis, sample digestion, food analysis, environmental sample preparation chemistry, and other areas. H.M. Kingston and L.B. Jassie, Editors ACS Professional Reference Book 300 pages (1988) Clothbound ISBN 0-8412-1450-6 LC 88-8139 US & Canada $49.95 Export $59.95 Ο
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American Chemical Society Distribution Office Dept. 95 1155 Sixteenth St., N.W. Washington, DC 20036 or CALL TOLL FREE
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eyes and the increase in skin cancer; however, only a few reports describe a much bigger hazard—suppression of the immune system. One of the most serious health and pollution problems in the world has been created by excess tropospheric ozone (the bad ozone). Caused by the emission of NO* and vol atile organic compounds (VOCs) from such sources as motor vehicles, oil re fineries, and dry-cleaning plants, tro pospheric ozone causes damage to lung structure (chronic exposure) as well as transient respiratory problems such as decrements in lung function and cer tain irritative symptoms such as cough ing, wheezing, and chest pain (acute exposure). In addition, the damage caused to forests, crops, and the ecosys tem as a whole appears to be enormous, commented Grant. Sixteen other speakers described a variety of environmental studies, in cluding the fate of textile dyes in aquatic ecosystems, photochemical re activity of polycyclic aromatic com pounds adsorbed on "stack ash," iden tification of spruce needle phenolics found in needles fumigated in a fog chamber, use of glow discharge quadrupole mass spectrometry and ion trap tandem mass spectrometry for the rap id determination of organic com pounds in water and soil, the monitor ing of ground and well water for trace levels of agrichemicals, the chemical analysis of clouds and fogs, and the de velopment of a mobile miniaturized ion trap mass spectrometer. Totally unrelated to ozone and other environmental problems were the talks given by Sanford Asher of the Univer sity of Pittsburgh on UV resonance Ra man spectroscopy, Stanley Bruckenstein of SUNY-Buffalo on the quartz crystal microbalance, Ira Levin of NIH on near-IR FT-Raman spectroscopy, and Cecil Dybowski of the University of Delaware on the study of surfaces by NMR spectroscopy. These speakers were invited by the symposium orga nizers to describe techniques that are not routinely used in environmental work but that may, in the not-toodistant future, be widely applied in solving environmental problems. A tribute to Roland Frei was deliv ered by Ernest Merian of the Swiss As sociation for Environmental Research and L. B. Rogers of the University of Georgia. Frei, who passed away sud denly late last year, epitomized the spirit of the International Symposia. He originated the meetings in Halifax in 1971 and continued to have a great influence on the content of the meet ings. He was a very pragmatic person who always saw the potential of new methods for environmental analysis
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and who insisted that the meetings cov er both fundamental research and ba sic techniques. The 20th annual symposium will be held in Strasbourg, France, in April 1990. Or one can wait until 1991, when the symposium will return to the beau tiful semitropical island in Georgia with broad white beaches, nature trails, and historical splendor. Waste analysis and quality assurance In late July more than 650 environmen tal chemists met in Washington, DC, for the week-long Fifth Annual Waste Testing and Quality Assurance Sympo sium. Sponsored by the Environmental Protection Agency and managed by the American Chemical Society, the sym posium included sessions on air and ground water monitoring, biological test methods, enforcement issues, de termination of inorganic and organic pollutants, mobility methods, labora tory information management, quality assurance, and sampling and field methods. The inaugural EnvirACS Exposi tion, held in conjunction with the meeting, included exhibits by almost 100 companies and featured instru ments and other products of particular interest to environmental chemists. When not listening to technical presen tations, symposium attendees had the opportunity to visit this first-ever ex position devoted solely to environmen tal analysis. The conference began with a work shop, led by John Warren of EPA's Of fice of Policy, Planning, and Evalua tion, on statistical aspects of waste testing and environmental monitoring. The mechanics of statistical tests com monly encountered when analyzing solid waste data were discussed, and the logic of the tests when used correct ly and the impact on false-positive and false-negative rates when key assump tions are violated were demonstrated. Following the workshop, conferees gathered for presentations by several EPA officials. Jonathan Cannon, act ing assistant administrator of the Of fice of Solid Waste and Emergency Re sponse; Walter Kovalick, deputy direc tor of the Office of Emergency and Remedial Response; Devereaux Barnes, director of the Characteriza tion and Assessment Division, Office of Solid Waste; and Susan Bromm, direc tor of the RCRA Enforcement Divi sion, Office of Waste Programs En forcement, discussed future develop ments in EPA's hazardous waste programs. Symposium chairperson Da vid Friedman of the Office of Solid Waste presented an overview of the RCRA Testing Methodology and Qual-
